Manuela Malasaña

Manuela Malasaña Oñoro ([maˈnwe.la ma.laˈsa.ɲa], March 10, 1791 – May 2, 1808) was a Spanish seamstress killed by soldiers of Napoleon I of France during the Second of May Uprising in Madrid.

The legendary version of her death says she fought the French, working in the defense of the Artillery Battery at Monteleón, led by Luis Daoíz y Torres and Pedro Velarde y Santillán.

Her father was purported to fire against the French from the balcony of her house and she supplied him with gunpowder and munitions until she died when she was struck by a bullet.

However, the scholar Carlos Cambronero discovered the death certificate of Jean Malasgne, proving that he had died before the uprising took place.

Manuela had become known in her neighborhood for her youth and charm, and dying so young and giving her life to the cause of freedom made her a great legend and heroine amongst the people of Madrid.